


Ties to the Past

by Tarlan



Category: Blood Ties (TV)
Genre: Canon Het Relationship, Community: smallfandomfest, Episode Tag, F/M, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-14 04:03:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5728870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Mike walked away he thought he would never see Henry again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ties to the Past

Mike thought they were fighting over Vicki, with each of them willing to drop everything, risk everything, just to be close to her. He thought he disliked Henry, seeing him as the Pampered Prince rather than being awed at knowing the first Duke of Richmond and illegitimate son of the infamously adulterous King Henry VIII. This was a man who had lived through times that historians romanticized over. He had seen people and witnessed events that would make historians cry, especially when he revealed the sordid, ugly truth behind all those romantic notions of the past.

Mike guessed he stopped being such an asshole to Henry after the whole affair with the crazy guy from the Spanish Inquisition, mainly because it had been his fault. Javier Mendoza had been a Grand Inquisitor, and he had tortured Henry during those dark days in the late fifteenth century. Of course in penance Mike had almost had his throat torn out by a starving, blood-drained vampire, which seemed fair enough when he considered he was the one to put Henry in that predicament in the first place. He'd given a charismatic lunatic a second chance at breaking Henry, and he'd thrown himself in front of Vicki when Henry lunged at her in his desperate need to feed. The bite had been painful, teeth piercing his skin and sucking the life-blood out of him.

He wasn't sure Henry would have stopped until he was dead if not for Vicki.

Things were never quite the same between them afterwards. They didn't magically become best buddies but they called a semi-truce in the hostilities, begrudgingly accepting and respecting each other. Of course that hadn't stopped Henry from using Mike's face and body on cannon-fodder in his comic books, except his character started meeting a nobler death rather than the usual grisly end.

It all changed when Astaroth found a way into the world through Coreen, eventually possessing the body of Father Cascioli.

Walking out on the task force meeting had cost Mike his badge and gun, forced to hand both over to an enraged Chief Crowley, and despite Vicki's rant that Crowley couldn't fire him without a review, Mike knew his career in the Toronto Police Department was over. He'd worked so hard for that Detective's shield and he wasn't sure what he was going to do now. He'd spent the past year trying to win back Vicki's love after spending the previous year trying to get over her, and when he kissed her that one last time he was surprised when he felt nothing. Not even bitterness at having lost her to Henry, just a twisted sense of regret for having not taken the time to get to know Henry, and perhaps be a friend.

He walked away, and the closing door behind him symbolized the end of that life, filling him with grief at its loss. When he reached the lobby of Henry's apartment building he stopped in confusion when he found Henry leaning against the reception desk. Mike ignored the way his heart skipped a beat, and refused to acknowledge the jolt of pleasure at finding the other man - vampire - when he thought he would never see Henry again.

"Detective."

Mike shot him a glare tinged with hurt for the still-raw wound.

"Mike," he stated more gently, acknowledging Mike's loss. "Vicki is a friend. I love her...." Mike rolled his eyes and moved past him only to have Henry's strong fingers grab at his suit-clad arm. "...as a friend," he stressed. "No more."

His words caught Mike's full attention, that and the fingers wrapped tightly around his wrist, and Mike allowed Henry to draw him across the reception where they could speak in private.

"I cannot stay here any longer. This city has become too dangerous for me. Too dangerous for Vicki." His dark eyes looked deep into Mike's, searching for understanding. "I sought only to protect her. Astaroth is a fallen angel. He wants her, and only my wealth and protection might keep her from falling into his darkness."

"I thought... I take it she said no," he finished wryly. 

He had overheard part of their conversation upstairs and thought Henry was in love with Vicki, and she in love with him. Maybe he was wrong. As for the rest, Mike wasn't surprised to hear Vicki had turned Henry down because she had an impenetrable shell around her that stopped anyone from getting too close. There would always be excuses for keeping everyone at arm's length, and it had taken him a year to finally acknowledge she loved him but not enough to break down that barrier. It had taken the events of this day for him to realize he and Vicki were partners, friends - sometimes with benefits - and that was all he would ever be to her; a useful contact in the Police department, a demon-babysitter, someone she trusted to guard her back while she hunted down monsters. Everything Kate Lam and Crowley had stated so vehemently. In hindsight, he realized it was all he had ever wanted to give her in return but he'd allowed jealousy over Henry to make him ignore Lam's words, and believe he wanted more.

Yet that begged the question: What did he want? He shoved that thought aside viciously.

"So what? You want me to persuade her to change her mind?"

"No."

Confused Mike stared at Henry hoping to see something in his expression that could unravel this tangle of emotions and provide a clear explanation.

"Then what do you want from me, Henry?" he asked in resignation.

Henry reached out again, his cool fingers brushing over Mike's hand, and the jolt of pleasure at Henry's touch shocked him. Before today Mike would have accused Henry of 'vamping' him to gain this reaction but he could see Henry's eyes widening in surprise, lips parting then slowly curling into a pleasured smile as Mike felt the heat of embarrassment and arousal rise in his cheeks. Every subconscious thought and feeling for Henry over these past months suddenly slammed into place with almost sickening clarity.

How did it happen? How did he go from animosity to love without recognizing the signs? 

He wondered if his love for Henry had always been there, lurking beneath the surface, hidden by his feelings of inadequacy when he compared himself with the enigmatic, dark Prince who was eternally youthful, stronger, richer.... certainly older and possibly wiser. Though Mike wasn't entirely convinced of that as they'd had some truly childish fights over this past year.

"Mike," Henry murmured softly, fingers tightening around Mike's hand as his other reached up to cup Mike's cheek.

Shocked by the way he leaned into Henry's hand, Mike stepped back, and Henry let him go, seemingly giving Mike time to regain his composure.

"I have to go..." Mike looked towards the door but his feet refused to take him in that direction, rooted to the floor as Henry took a step forward.

"I never expected you to return my feelings." He moved another step closer. "I wanted you safe, Mike." He reached out again and Mike closed his eyes as the cool hand caressed his face. "And you will never be safe if you stay with Vicki," he finished, voice filled with anguish.

Before him Henry froze, and Mike opened his eyes to see Vicki entering the lobby.

"Please," Henry begged softly. "Come away with me."

Vicki hadn't seen them yet and momentarily he felt torn between his old life and the one Henry was offering, but deep down he knew Henry was telling the truth. If he stayed he could fight to regain his detective shield, but it was a long shot... and he could never guarantee he would not be sucked back into Vicki's world, facing demons and monsters. Without Henry's supernatural abilities and four centuries of knowledge to back them up, eventually Astaroth would use him against Vicki, destroying him and everyone close to them in the process.

Or he could accept Henry's offer and see if there was more to him than a poorly paid detective living in a cold, damp apartment, and more to this newly-discovered love than the pull of his heart towards Henry.

The choice was before him and for once his head and his heart were in agreement. He looked deep into Henry's eyes, seeing hope and love reflected back at him.

"Yes."

END  
 


End file.
